Aaron Rodgers' return means Steelers are destined for more of the same

Aaron Rodgers return to the Pittsburgh Steelers presents a sort of a good news/bad news situation for the team. 

The good news is that they can stop the guessing game (and waiting game) on what he is going to do, and give them their starting quarterback for the 2026 season. He is also probably the best possible option for contention this season, given the available options.

The bad news is that he is not good enough at this stage of his career to push them into the top Super Bowl contender category and leaves them destined to be the same team they have been for the past decade.

That team is not good enough. 

Aaron Rodgers will make the Steelers competitive, but not competitive enough

If the Steelers' goal in 2026 is to compete for a playoff spot, and every indication from the organization makes it clear that is the case, as it is every year, then Rodgers is probably the best option they can turn to.

Especially among the options on the roster.

Mason Rudolph is a capable backup and can win an occasional start if needed, but he's not going to be a full-season answer.

Last year's sixth-round pick, Will Howard, has never taken an NFL snap in a preseason or regular-season game and is already dealing with the long odds of being a late-round quarterback.

Drew Allar was picked in the third round this season and seems to have the attention of new head coach Mike McCarthy, given his arm strength and ability to make every throw on the NFL route tree. But he is a rookie whose mechanics and fundamentals are being totally broken down and rebuilt back up. He is not likely to be a realistic option for a competitive team this season.

Rodgers, meanwhile, is a future Hall of Famer, a Super Bowl champion and a four-time MVP. While he is not anywhere close to the player he was at his peak when he was winning all of those awards, he was good enough in 2025 to help lead the Steelers to a 10-win season, an AFC North division championship and a home playoff game. 

The Steelers enjoy winning more games than they lose, and take great pride in the fact that they have not had a losing season since 2003 and are consistently in playoff contention. And there is a lot to be said for that. The problem is the Steelers have not actually won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and have not really been competitive in any of their recent postseason games.

The lack of elite quarterback play over that time period is a big reason why. While their defense has consistently been very good, and at times even excellent, they have not had the type of top-tier quarterback play that truly makes a team a Super Bowl contender since the prime years of Ben Roethlisberger.

The end of his career, and the revolving door of quarterbacks since him, have consistently been below average to downright bad. That has helped keep the Steelers in the mediocre middle of the NFL. They have failed to develop quarterbacks through the draft to this point, have relied on declining veterans in free agency, and have not been able to get into a position at the top of the draft (either by losing or trading up) to find a young elite talent. 

This year's team figures to do what the past few teams have done and grind out nine or 10 ugly wins, maybe sneak into the playoffs, lose to a team with a better quarterback, and enter next offseason with the same uncertainty at the most important position on the field.

They desperately need Allar to develop. If he does not, they are going to keep looking for their next long-term answer. It is not easy to find.